


That's Life

by TheGrinningKitten



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell, Frisk Uses Sign Language, Gen, Swearing, Translation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-26
Updated: 2016-10-26
Packaged: 2018-08-27 01:23:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8382490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGrinningKitten/pseuds/TheGrinningKitten
Summary: As usual, Sans meets the child on their way to Snowdin. As usual, he's ready to deal with them. ...As usual?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Translated from Russian.
> 
> Originally written for Fandom Kombat 2016, team Undertale. The prompt was: “What we live in you might call inner darkness.” To fit the flow of the given theme, Fell!Sans is written somewhat different from the way I usually write him.

Frisk stumbles — or, rather, falls — out onto the Snowdin forest's path, yet there's not a single scratch on them — be it through luck or experience from previous resets — and there's no dust either. They pick themself up off the ground, clap the snow off their knees, tighten their hold on the dirt-filled boot they're carrying, calm Flowey who currently inhabits said boot, take a couple steps down the path — and freeze.

Sans is leaning against a pine tree just up ahead. Playing hide-and-seek got boring a few resets ago, so now he chooses to spend the extra few minutes of quiet waiting, mind stuck between wakefulness and slumber.

Frisk takes a deep breath as they steel themself to continue walking. Flowey pokes them in the cheek time and time again, attempting to talk them into searching for a different route — as if that could save them. The child shakes their head, squares their shoulders and goes forward, projecting complete and utter confidence with every step.

That only lasts for all of ten feet. Then Sans opens his eye sockets and straightens up — at least, until the relaxed posture turns into his usual slouch. Their eyes meet. For a minute there's a standstill, neither the monster nor the kid make a move; the silence is only broken by Flowey's incessant mumbling: he's still trying to talk Frisk into backing off.

Sans is the first to speak.

"Well, are we getting straight to business or..?"

Frisk hurries to string gestures into a question.

"Wait, what?" Sans squints, thinking — hoping? — he read that wrong.

_"Why are monsters so mean?"_ Frisk repeats. Nope, not wrong.

Flowey face-plants into the dirt of his improvised flowerpot. Sans finds himself agreeing with the gesture, though his grin does get wider too: it's a question and not a plea for help or mercy — those got old a while ago.

"Heh, that one's easy. One day, there lived a monster who lost all his hope, so he got angry at the whole world and decided that everyone around him needed to be hopeless as well. And the others thought, 'Hey, no fair! We want everyone else to suffer too!' — and that's how all has gone to shit. End of story, start of the fucked up thing called life."

The child stares at their feet in silence. Flowey keeps a wary eye on the skeleton. Sans considers his options: kill Frisk now or let them struggle to get through Snowdin alive — spoiler alert: they probably won't.

He's about ready to summon a Blaster, when they look up.

_"So everyone's so mean because no one wants to be kind first?"_

"...Something like that?" Sans tilts his head to the side, curious where the kid is going with that. Thoughts of — possible — murder temporarily take a backseat.

_"I see,"_ Frisk smiles brightly. _"Then I'll start."_

"'Start' what exactly?"

_"Being kind first,"_ Frisk gives him a determined nod. _"So that others can be kind too."_

"Kiddo, are you nuts?" Sans snorts. Judging by Flowey's incredulous expression, the poor imitation of a buttercup is thinking the same thing. Apparently, Frisk has the uncanny power to make the two of them suddenly see eye to eye — go figure.

_"Why?"_

"...You're being serious right now?"

A nod in response.

"Listen, kid. 'm gonna put this as simple as possible. If you add a spoonful of honey to a barrel of shit, you'll still have a barrel of shit. That easy enough for you?"

Frisk frowns but nods again.

"There. Any more stupid ques—"

_"I'm gonna try anyway!"_ Frisk gives him the widest of grins.

"Ugh, just drop it already! You're not the one who started this shit, you're not gonna be the one to end it either," Sans growls but there's no bite behind it.

Sensing his weakness, Frisk keeps at it, taking a step forward.

_"But still!.."_

"Kid, stop fucking with my head." Sans gestures with his hand in mock-invitation for Frisk to pass forward. "If you seek a slow and painful death, be my guest!"

Frisk jumps at the spot in joy, half-nods half-bows to show their gratitude and hurries to continue their journey. Flowey keeps staring at Sans over the child's shoulder, expecting — not unreasonably — a stab in the back.

Sans just follows them with his gaze. After all, if this time around the kid was really set on 'being kind' to everyone instead of being reasonable and sneaking through the Underground, then, at least, Sans will have something to laugh at.

 

When his brother, one of the meanest monsters in the whole Underground, offers Frisk mercy and help, Sans doesn't feel like laughing.

**Author's Note:**

> First time translating fiction into English. If this works, I might consider translating longer, more substantial works of mine.


End file.
